Foldable chair set

ABSTRACT

A foldable chair set comprising a plurality of chairs secured together in foldable relation having a pantograph type of linkage which will fold to provide for compact storage; a further feature of the invention is the provision of wheels on the leg toward which the folding occurs to facilitate transportation of the set.

[ Feb. 8, 1972 United States Patent Suzuki et al.

[54] FOLDABLE CHAIR SET 1,738,473 12/1929 Green [72] Inventors: Tosmo S n Toyo K k both of 2,695,829 11/1954 Martmez.. 16, Shim home, Tokyo Japan 3,062,603 11/1962 Kamenstem etal... 3,191,554 6/1965 Zierhut................. Frled: g- 1969 3,492,046 1/1970 Wittneretal.....

21 A p2 KOCh.........-.... 1 PP 1,643,236 9/1927 Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 26, 1968 Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Attorney-Ostrolenk, Faber, Gerb & Solfen [52] U.S.CL....... ABSTRACT .A47c 15/00 297/4245, 232434, A foldable chair set comprising a plurality of chairs secured [58] Field ofSearch together 1n foldable relation having a pantograph type of link- 297/236 108/113 118 age which will fold to provide for compact storage; a further feature of the invention is the provision of wheels on the leg toward which the folding occurs to facilitate transportation of the set.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1915 Bates et .108/115 X 5 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PAIfiNIEBm a an SHEET 1 OF 3 a mm Sm FOLDABLE CHAIR sa'r This invention relates to a set of chairs capable of being folded.

In a lecture hall, assembly room, clubhouse and other places for holding a meeting, there is need of many chairs. However, such meeting places are sometimes required to utilize all the floor space with nothing for obstructing the free movement of people in the place. Thus, it is desirable to provide a convertible feature to the chairs which are used in such a meeting place. To this end, foldable chairs are conveniently used. However, if the foldable chairs are such that they are of individual construction and there bear no mechanical relationship to one another, there is a disadvantage in that it requires much time and labor for manipulating all the individual chairs.

The present invention has, therefore, for an object to afford a set of foldable chairs comprising a plurality of chairs, for example five, secured together in foldable relationship and adapted to be supported by a plurality of legs interconnected with one another in a manner such that the legs comprises a pantograph linkage. When the chairs are used, the linkage of the legs are stretched; and the linkage may be contracted to provide a compact article which may conveniently be stored when not in use and may be readily transported, for example in a corner of a room or in a storeroom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction of foldable chair set which may readily be manufactured as by blanking out sections.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a stand which is adapted both to interconnect the legs of the chairs and to support the chair set, when not in use, at an upright position. A further object of the invention is to provide a device which serves both as the foot of the legs and as the wheels for moving the folded chair set to facilitate its transportation.

In carrying out the invention, a plurality of chairs are constructed to possess first and second legs, respectively, pivotally connected to each other in general to form crossed chair legs, wherein the first chair leg being rotatably secured at the upper end thereof to the under side of the seat of the respective chair, and the second chair leg being rotatably supported by a connecting link which is adapted to allow movement of the upper end of the second leg so that the upper end of the second leg removably abuts against the respective chair seat at a position apart from the securing position of the first chair leg. The connecting link is linked to the second leg of the next chair by means of a link member. Thus, provision is made to form a pantograph linkage by a plurality of sets of the first and second chair legs, the connecting link and the link member each provided to an unit of chair and to permit the stretching of the chair legs for using the chair set and to contract the chair legs when not in use.

The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a foldable set of chairs embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the foldable set of chairs of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an underside view showing the set of chairs of the invention in a folded position and illustrating only one side of the pantograph assembly of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of a unit of the chair set;

FIG. 5 shows the relationship of linkage of the chair legs of three adjacent chairs; and

FIGS. to 12 are perspective views of. parts or sections for forming a unit of chair.

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral 20, 21 and 22 indicate the seat, backrest and armrest of the chair, respectively. Each chair except the one on the left in FIG. 1 includes only a single arm support 50, which extends out from the side of the chair near its seat and supports an arm rest 22 between neighboring chairs. Each arm rest 22 and its support 50 is positioned so as not to interfere with the other chairs being folded. In accordance with the principles of the present invention and as can be seen generally from the figure thereof, there is provided a first leg member generally designated 23 and shown especially in FIG. 6, a second leg member generally designated 24 and shown especially in FIG. 7, a'connecting link for supporting the second leg member generally designated 25 and shown especially in FIG. 8, a link member generally designated 26 and shown especially in FIG. 9, and pair of bearing members 27 which are secured to the underside of the chair seat 20 as shown in FIG. 10.

The first chair leg member 23 is conveniently manufactured by bending a steel pipe into an inverted U-shape forming a pair of first legs 28 and a crossbar portion 29. The second leg member 24 is also conveniently manufactured by bending a steel pipe into a rectangular shape forming a pair of second legs 30 and a pair of crossbars 31. The second leg supporting connecting link 25 has a crossbar portion 32 and a pair of arms 33 having its lower ends horizontal fingers 34. The link member 26 has a pair of links 35 and a crossbar portion 36.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the first leg member 23 is rotatably carried at the crossbar portion 29 by the engagement with the bearing members 27 at a position near a side of the chair seat 20. The bearing members 27 is further adapted to carry rotatably the connecting link member 25 at the crossbar portion 32 thereof. The connecting link member 25 is adapted to support rotatably the second leg members 24 by the horizontal fingers 34 which, at 52, extend into openings provided in the second legs 30. The first legs 23 and the second legs 24 are pivotally connected to each other at 37 so that they form a pair of crossed legs for supporting the load of the respective chair. Each first leg 23 of a chair extends past its pivot connection 37 with the second leg 24 of that chair and extends to pivot connection 51, which is near the base of the just mentioned first leg 23 and near the base of the second leg 24 of the neighboring chair. The two connections 37, 51 of all first legs 23, except the first leg on the right end of the chair set in FIG. 1, provide two of the pantograph linkage connections.

It should be noted that the first legs 28 are rotatably fixed to the chair seat 20, while the second legs 30 are removably abut against the chair seat at a position apart from the securing points of the first legs or at the position near the other side of the chair seat. The horizontal fingers 34 are pivotally linked to the upper ends of the arms 35 of link member 26, the lower ends of which arms are pivotally linked to the second legs 30 of next chair at 38. Thus, a pantograph linkage is formed by a plurality of sets of the first leg member 23, second leg member 24, connecting link member 25 and link member 26.

The second leg 24a of the chair on a side of the chair set or the chair on the left side in FIG. 1 has a foot portions 39 for standing on the floor.

The first leg 23 of the chair at the other side of the chair set or the chair on the right side in FIG. 1 has wheels 40 and has no connection to a leg of a neighboring chair.

The link member 260 substitutes for link member 26 of all the other chairs. At its left-hand end in FIG. 1, member 26a is carried by fingers 34 of the support link 25 on the chair next to the right-hand chair in FIG. 1 which links the second leg 24 of the chair on the right side in FIG. 1 to the first leg 23 of next chair, terminates in an extension with a crossbar 41 that is like crossbar 36 on link member 26.

When the chairs are used, the pantograph linkage is stretched as in FIGS. 1 and 5 to provide a plurality of the first and second legs for supporting the load of a plurality of the chairs. 1,

When the chairs are not in use, the pantograph linkage is contracted. All seats 20 are shifted to the right in FIG. I. As each seat shifts, its respective first leg 23, which is secured at its upper end to support bearing member 27, pivots clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1. Its second leg is pivoted counterclockwise around the pivot 37. Its link member 26 moves toward its leg 23, collapsing the pantograph to the condition illustrated in FIG. 3. The connecting link member 25 controls the movement of link member 26, causes it to move in the proper direction and ensures proper movement of the pantograph structure throughout its expansions and contractions. The linkage and pantograph arrangement ensures that the upper crossbars 31 of each second leg 24 move away from the underside of each seat 20, as illustrated in FIG. 3, so that each seat 20, which is shifted to the right in FIG. 1, so that each seat 20, whichisshifted to the right in FIG. 1, can seat partially upon the neighboring seat to its right in FIG. 1, bringing about the staggered, nested structure illustrated in FIG. 3. Thus, the chair seats 20 are thrusted up at the side opposite to the securing position of the respective first leg member and are placed in layers as shown in H6. 3.

In the contracted position, the crossbar extension 41 rests on the floor as illustrated in FIG. 3. Thus, the folded chair set is supported upright position when not in use. The folded chair set may be readily moved from place to place by wheeling on the wheels 40 in order to transport the folded chair set to a corner of a room or to a storeroom as desired. Provided on the underside of the chair on the right side, is a handle 42 for the facilities of operation of the folded chair set.

We claim:

1. A foldable chair set comprising a plurality of chairs disposed in side-by-side relationship; each said chair including: a

a first leg rotatably secured to said chair to rotate toward and away from the neighboring said chairs;

a second leg pivotally secured to said first leg and also rotatable toward and away from the neighboring said chairs; said second leg being adaptable to be rotated into and out of abutting support with the chair at a location remote from said pivot connection between said first leg and said chair;

a pantograph linkage pivotally connected with and joining said first and said second legs; all said pantograph linkages being connected together to cooperate and guide the movements of all said first and said second legs of all said chairs to cause all said chair legs to move together;

each said first leg of one said chair being connected to said second leg of the neighboring said chair, except for the endmost chairs of the set, thereby transmitting the folding and unfolding of said pantograph linkage of each said chair to said neighboring chair;

each said pantograph linkage comprising a first link, which is pivotally connected to said second leg of one said chair at one side of said pivotal connection between said first and said second legs of that said chair and which is pivotally connected to said second leg of the neighboring said chair on the same said side of said pivotal connection between that said second leg and said first leg of the first mentioned chair,

said first link is in both cases connected above the said pivotal connections between said first and said second legs of that chair.

2. A foldable chair set as claimed in claim I wherein said first leg of the said chair on the side of said chair set toward which the folding operation is effected has wheels for facilitating movement of said chair set.

3. A foldable chair set as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said first link of said chair at the side of said chair set toward which said chair set is folded includes an extension adapted for supporting said set when not in use.

4. A foldable chair set as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a supporting and guiding linking element, which is pivotally connected to said first link and which is pivotally connected to said chair for guiding the movement of said fir'st link and of each associated said chair leg connected with said first link.

5. A foldable chair set as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pantograph linkage forms substantially a parallelogram having as its sides, moving about the pantograph linkage noted counterclockwise, said first link, said second leg of one said chair, said first leg of the same said chair and said second leg of the neighboring said chair. 

1. A foldable chair set comprising a plurality of chairs disposed in side-by-side relationship; each said chair including: a first leg rotatably secured to said chair to rotate toward and away from the neighboring said chairs; a second leg pivotally secured to said first leg and also rotatable toward and away from the neighboring said chairs; said second leg being adaptable to be rotated into and out of abutting support with the chair at a location remote from said pivot connection between said first leg and said chair; a pantograph linkage pivotally connected with and joining said first and said second legs; all said pantograph linkages being connected together to cooperate and guide the movements of all said first and said second legs of all said chairs to cause all said chair legs to move together; each said first leg of one said chair being connected to said second leg of the neighboring said chair, except for the endmost chairs of the set, thereby transmitting the folding and unfolding of said pantograph linkage of each said chair to said neighboring chair; each said pantograph linkage comprising a first link, which is pivotally connected to said second leg of one said chair at one side of said pivotal connection between said first and said second legs of that said chair and which iS pivotally connected to said second leg of the neighboring said chair on the same said side of said pivotal connection between that said second leg and said first leg of the first mentioned chair, said first link is in both cases connected above the said pivotal connections between said first and said second legs of that chair.
 2. A foldable chair set as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first leg of the said chair on the side of said chair set toward which the folding operation is effected has wheels for facilitating movement of said chair set.
 3. A foldable chair set as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said first link of said chair at the side of said chair set toward which said chair set is folded includes an extension adapted for supporting said set when not in use.
 4. A foldable chair set as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a supporting and guiding linking element, which is pivotally connected to said first link and which is pivotally connected to said chair for guiding the movement of said first link and of each associated said chair leg connected with said first link.
 5. A foldable chair set as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pantograph linkage forms substantially a parallelogram having as its sides, moving about the pantograph linkage noted counterclockwise, said first link, said second leg of one said chair, said first leg of the same said chair and said second leg of the neighboring said chair. 